- HMS Suffolk (55)
HMS "Suffolk" (55) was a County class
heavy cruiser of theRoyal Navy , and part of the "Kent" subclass. She was built byPortsmouth Dockyard ,Portsmouth , UK), with the keel being laid down on the15 November 1924 . She was launched on the16 March 1926 , and commissioned25 June 1928 .History
"Suffolk", like her sisters, served on the China Station, save for reconstruction, until the outbreak of
World War II . She came home in1939 and then patrolled the Denmark Straits in October1939 . In April1940 she participated in the Norwegian Campaign. On13 April 1940 she arrived atTórshavn to commence the British pre-emptive occupation of theFaroe Islands . On14 April 1940 "Suffolk" sank the German tanker "Skagerak" northwest ofBodø ,Norway .On
17 April 1940 "Suffolk" bombarded the air field and station for sea planes atSola Air Station ,Stavanger , destroying four aircraft and damaging the installations, but was in return badly damaged by bombs from German Ju88 aircraft of II./KG 30. X-turret's magazine had been destroyed. The ship was very lucky to survive this ordeal and she barely reachedScapa Flow with her stern awash the next morning. Until she reached port the Germans claimed to have sunk her. She was beached atScapa Flow to prevent her sinking. "Suffolk" was out of action from April1940 until February1941 where she was repaired at ClydeDuring May
1941 "Suffolk" was involved in theBattle of the Denmark Strait and the sinking of the German battleship "Bismarck". "Suffolk" had engaged the battleship twice during the battle making several salvoes on her. Using her Radar, "Suffolk" was able to track the Bismarck through theDenmark Strait and maintained contact long enough for other units to vector into "Bismarck"s path.After her repairs "Suffolk" served with the Home Fleet in
Arctic waters until the end of1942 , then underwent a refit between December1942 and April1943 . On completion of this the ship was ordered to the Eastern Fleet, operating in theIndian Ocean until the end of the war."Suffolk" was allocated to Bisco on
25 March 1948 and was scrapped at J Cashmore's (Newport ,Wales ) where she arrived on24 June 1948 .References
*Colledge
* "British and Empire Warships of the Second World War", H T Lenton, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-277-7
* "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946", Ed. Robert Gardiner, Naval Institute Press, ISBN 0-87021-913-8
* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1181.html HMS Suffolk at U-boat.net] (pers coment from living crew member)
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